Hi there friends! If you were following along on yesterday's post, you know that today is the big reveal of my friend Brooke's bathroom makeover! Woohoo! This project started last summer and JUST ended a few days ago, so about 8 months of working on it on and off in her extra time. You know...all that extra time that working moms have... Most of this was done by Brooke herself (while pregnant), but she did get help from her brother, daughters, fiance, mom, and even her boss (who helped with painting). And she finished with only 6 more weeks before the baby comes. That is seriously impressive. She is so VERY happy to just be done with it. I'm exhausted from even imagining doing all this while pregnant.
Well, in case you've forgotten from yesterday, let me refresh your memory on what it looked like "before":
Reminder: This is where her bedroom closet used to take up precious floor space.
Definitely needed a makeover, right? This bathroom has been waiting a long time for it's turn on the list of projects that Brooke has been doing around her house. If you missed yesterday's post and are interested in the process, you can read all about it here.
And for those of you who are ready to see the finished product, here is the "after":
A HUUUUUGE difference, right?!?!?! This space is so perfectly Brooke. Her home decor style is a totally authentic mix of vintage, farmhouse, shabby chic, global, and bohemian. When I say "authentic", I mean it's not the trendy version of any of those styles, but the real deal. You wouldn't think those styles could all co-exist together and not look like a total cluster*, but somehow she makes them all work and it creates a really warm home. I believe it's because it's real, and not trying to be those things. And, just like the rest of her house, I think all of these styles came together really well in the bathroom.
Let's look at some more pictures!
The sink location has moved from in front of the toilet to this spot, where her master bedroom closet used to be, and a vanity has been added. Brooke found the vintage dresser used for the vanity on a Facebook marketplace page, and her mom painted it for her. Brooke installed the knobs (from World Market) and the sink and faucet herself. Brooke's mom found the mirror on the same Facebook marketplace page, and she was going to paint it, but they decided that it's current chippy painted look is already perfect for the space and goes with the style of the rest of Brooke's home. I personally LOVE the contrast of the vintage mirror and vanity next to the rest of the modern bathroom and this very modern sink and faucet.
Under the vanity space is a big mosaic tile pattern that Brooke did to cover the spot where her closet walls used to be. The floor around this is the hardwood floor she found when she removed the linoleum floor that was in there, but when removing the closet walls, she had gaps. Her daughter, Violet, laid the pattern of the tiles and Brooke grouted them all in.
Above the toilet are some cool metal wire baskets she found at TJMaxx and that now hold towels and a plant. And, between the toilet and shower is a metal corner tower for more plants. Brooke's goal is to have a TON more plants all over the bathroom to enjoy the moisture from the shower.
This is the shower stall that she installed to replace that old clawfoot tub she used to have. More plants! She also ripped out the old window and put this one in on her own. There were going to be corner shampoo shelves, BUT, when you're preggo and completely sick of tiling, some things just don't make the cut. Which is totally understandable. I mean , if I was pregnant and doing this, I would have quit before finishing putting in a new window and just called it a day. Then I'd just tell anyone who asked about the hole in the wall that it was the new bathroom vent. Anyway, so now the window ledge and a (not pictured) shower caddy will hold all the shampoo bottles and soap.
On the wall across from the vanity is a picture that I took of Brooke's daughter, Ava, at the end of the summer of 2016. I used this picture in my post about visiting Brooke's house and I thought it would be perfect for her bathroom because of the colors, the nature-iness, and the fact that it's one of her daughters. This is from when we were leaving the beach and walking thru the sandy grass. I ordered a big print of it and framed it for her.
Towel hooks will eventually go on the wall here between the shower and this framed picture. Once Brooke finishes taking a rest from all of this.
Below is a close-up of the picture.
I took these "after" pictures when I visited Brooke this past weekend, and it is so amazing what a change this is. The old bathroom was just not where I wanted to be (I mean, I don't really want to hang out in any bathroom, but if I have to be in one, the old one is not one I wanted to be in), but the new one is just gorgeous!
Is the new bathroom perfect? No, of course not. It's a total DIY, which is never going to be perfectly perfect, but it is soooo good, AND, for Brooke to be able to look around and see what she did with her own hands has got to be such a good feeling. Plus, the bathroom is all put together with the help and love of people that she cares about, and that care about her, so every time she and her family look around in there, they get to see a real labor of love. And, you can't put a price on that. Okay, this is getting a little sappy, so this is a good place to stop. Plus, I'm out of pictures to show you :)
I hope you enjoyed this and that it inspires you to take on some of your own projects! Or just inspires you to relax, read about all the sweaty hard work someone else is doing, and be thankful it's not you!
Until next time....